Since our first Homework Clubs began, 16 years ago, university students have been volunteering with us. Without them we wouldn’t be able to run the Homework & Activity Clubs for as many children as we do. We have a strong relationship with the group STAR (Student Action for Refugees) at King’s College London University, who work with us on recruitment, fundraising and support for volunteers.
We currently have 16 student volunteers and are recruiting more every week. Volunteers support the children with their school work, English language and general wellbeing. Students also attend our holiday trips and activities as well as take our most vulnerable children out on fun day trips. During the summer, for example, volunteers took children and young people to Battersea Park, the beach, trampolining, skateboarding, the cinema and to Nandos!
These young people often have difficult and chaotic lives and would otherwise not have the opportunity for one to one time with an adult. The past year has been particularly difficult for us all and the volunteers have been amazing in their support for our three online Homework Clubs. As well as helping with school we work we have played games, quizzes, done Tik Tok dances, yoga, cooked and much more together on Zoom.
The students bring a lot to our Clubs and they get a lot out of it too. The students are role models, especially to the young people in our Senior’s Club. They give our young people the opportunity to meet someone they may never otherwise have met (as they are from totally different backgrounds), but also to learn about their life experiences, what it is like to be at university and how they got there. We have students from many different countries including, China, Greece, USA, France, India and Italy.
As well as directly supporting our Clubs, student volunteers have also fundraised for Love to Learn education team. In 2020, for example, they raised £5,000 for laptops so that children could access online learning. For the past eight years Kings College students have raised the money so that every child that attends our homework clubs gets a Christmas present and a book. As you can imagine this is always very popular!
Volunteer with us
If you would like to volunteer with us then contact us here.